Caz

Hi everyone, I've been learning a lot of classic pop songs over lockdown and am hoping to join a cover band when gigs resume. But some of these tunes require a lower string - Uptown Funk, Get Lucky etc. And a few of them go down to low Eb like Beat It, and sound less fat to do up an octave. So I started thinking about maybe getting a 5-string Jazz bass. I know some of these tunes like Beat It can be done by de-tuning - and apparently there's a drop-D tool that exists so you can do that quickly on a gig. Although then the intervals on the fretboard will be confusing. I play a 4-string P-bass which I really like, and with a 5-string would just have to mute the low string 99% of the time. So I was thinking about getting an octave pedal, and playing these tunes up an octave then dropping the sound with the octave pedal. I've tried a BOSS OC-3 which sounded nice. For people who play in cover bands - how do you approach this, and can you suggest any decent octave pedals to play these tunes on 4-string please? Thanks, Caroline

Another interesting one I came across this week... Happy by Pharrell Williams. F minor seems to work even though the chords are all F dominants.. bluesy minor/major 3rd thing happening, and playing F minor pentatonic over it sounds good. Then the chorus chords Dbmaj7, Cm7, F7 relative to Ab maj would be IV, IIIm7, VI7 Would you agree with that or is there another / better way to think about this tune?

Can anyone recommend where to get a good chart for this tune please?

Hi Richard, good for you for keeping at it, hopefully you'll have it up to speed soon. I've heard a few people talking about this tune and would like to give it a try - wondered where you got the sheet music please? Another one I saw people talking about on this forum was Blondie's Rapture, I tried it out and wrote a chart for this a few days ago so will post below in case you'd like to trade. Many thanks. Rapture.pdf

Just to update, he's saying "it's F# moron" not Maloney 😂 Knew about Hey Jude at 2:58 but I'll need to listen to Louie Louie, which part of the tune is it?

Good point on Get Lucky - noted that the chord is E instead of E7. I think I've got another good one here.. this morning I was learning Etta James' I Just Want To Make Love To You. Between 30-40 seconds you can hear someone telling someone they're playing the wrong note twice, first time kind of discretely and the second time he sounds unhappy! Sounds like he's saying "it's F-sharp Maloney", this is over the Bb7, Eb7 chords. I can't hear which one is the wrong note though! So here's a pop quiz for anyone who feels like it... Who's Maloney and on which transposing instrument does F# make sense? It sounds to me like in the first round these melody notes are getting played in concert pitch: Bb C Db, F G Ab then the second time round it's changed after getting told off.. sounds like the first note drops a minor third to G C Db, F G Ab. It's an old recording so there could have been a pitch change to factor in. I can't see anything about this on google but it's really funny when you hear it, it's really noticeable in the mix!

Wow - thanks very much for sending this on, what a list!! Am I understanding right that you mean he puts the bottom 4 strings of a 5 string set on a 4 string bass? So they're fatter strings.. why would that make a higher string tension though? Or is it just a tuning thing, to get thicker strings up to standard tuning they need tightened more? I've only got one bass and one set of strings.. so far

Oh yeah I did stumble across this yesterday on youtube funnily enough, but didn't see the 2nd part so will check that out. I noticed he talks about the sweet spot for the right hand to be a bit further back from the fretboard than it looks like Aston Barrett plays it. Thanks for the warm welcome Reggaebass, I'll look forward to going through this and checking out the music posted up here. Definitely going to check this album out. I love Monty's trio and had the privilege to support them at Cadogan Hall a couple of years ago (as a drummer, not bassist!). Great band - I especially love Jason Brown's playing on kit.

Hey folks, I must have skipped over this thread somehow. There's loads of great stuff here!! I've recently been learning a few Bob Marley & The Wailers tunes.. so far Could You Be Loved, Is This Love, Redemption Song, Three Little Birds and Waiting In Vain. I've been checking out some videos and documentaries to see how Aston Barrett plays.. so far advice I've got has been play with the right hand up by the fretboard and roll back the tone to get a fatter sound. Are there any other tips from folks in the know please? I posted this a few days ago on the Show Us Your Playing thread.. hope it's ok to post again here, it just shows where I'm at so far with the technique and sound. I've been playing bass for just over a year and a half now, still getting the basics together so appreciate any advice. Thanks, Caroline

Love watching these videos. SaimoN the Mudvayne stuff is great - that must have taken quite a while to learn??! Very impressive. Jay2U your videos are next level, do you record in front of a green screen or something? I've just put another cover up on youtube, Is This Love by Bob Marley & The Wailers. Haven't really got the right hand technique together at all playing up near the fretboard like that - something to work on over lockdown! Caroline

From American Boy to Giant Steps.. I'm loving this discussion! Here's another one which is maybe a bit more straightforward but I'm finding it interesting. I did a cover video of Around the World by Daft Punk (I'll post it below) and was advised by a bassist to then check out Get Lucky - so I'm now learning to play Get Lucky. B feels like home and I'd probably have firstly said B minor for the key, but then it sounds like more B dorian than B natural minor, so I'd call the key A or F# minor for this - would you agree and why? I think the chords are as follows: B-7 Dmaj7 F#-7 E7 With key A major that's: II-7 IV7 VI-7 V7 or with key F# minor that's: IV-7 bVImaj7 I-7 bVII7 And this is surprisingly basically the same as Around the World transposed up a tone. I think the chords for this are A-7 Cmaj7 E-7 Gmaj7 (or D7 would also work here?) which in the key of G is: II-7 IV7 VI-7 Imaj7 Interested to hear from others who have come across these tunes. Here's me trying to play it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VLrrE6RO6o

Thanks Alembic, I've been on the lookout for a good drone app. Drummer Asaf Sirkis, uses a phone app drone on gigs sometimes and it sounds very cool. I don't play fretless but have been using a drone recently to practice ear training/singing exercises, a few people recommended it as a good way to work on pitch. I've been using www.dronetool.com which has a nice cello sound, and there's also a shruti box. There's more about that on the Ear Training thread also in this part of the forum if you're interested Rural, and a video from Ingrid Jensen that talks about the shruti box to get a drone. Caroline

Did this wee bass cover of Daft Punk - Around the World this morning

No worries, happy to share and I really hope it helps. I think the other more traditional ear training methods are useful too, interval/chord recognition etc, but in a slightly different way. I just found that there wasn't a very good link with what I was playing and what was happening in my head. I studied jazz (with drums first instrument so wasn't always dealing with pitch) with second instrument piano. So I was taking lessons on piano, playing piano in harmony classes and also playing piano in a jazz orchestra. Some people seem to have a natural link up between what they're playing and the sound in their head and this wasn't happening as much for me which meant I was relying on the technical side and this became quite limiting. I'm not sure if you're the same or not, but taking your example of happy birthday - out of a group of people some will just be able to sing it because they've heard it, some won't be able to sing it well but can hear it, and I think some people if they're really being honest struggle at a much more basic level. This is different to recognising happy birthday, which everyone can do - I think this is the route most interval recognition apps go down. When I started playing bass last year I tried to improve what I'm hearing whilst playing. Most of the ideas are from Training The Ear by Armen Donelian - but I found that book a bit too intense so simplified parts into a daily routine. The results have started showing, I think it's going to be worth all the work. If you try it out let me know how you get on. If anyone else has any tips for improving at hearing/singing pitches, I'm all ears Caroline

Oh my, who knew this about Sweet Home Alabama.. good call! So having spoken it through with someone more experienced, we decided that it's one of those situations where the word 'key' needs a bit more definition - as it doesn't have the same obvious role as say with older classical music. D feels like home, but practically it makes more sense to think D mixolydian than G major.. although there's a bit of G major pentatonic stuff going on, it's mostly D major/minor pentatonic that works. Is that what others would say too? I'm going to try learning some bluesy soloing over this tune. I'm sold on E minor now for American Boy. Before I was thinking E major modulating to E minor, but I'd skipped over the intro - that makes a good case for E minor. With the Fmaj7 chord as a chromatic passing chord into Emaj7, and the Emaj7 as a VI major (to key G major/E minor). I should update these chords. Intro: Em7, B7, Am7. Verse: Emaj7, Cmaj7, Am7, Am7/D (or D sus), Emaj7, Cmaj7, Am7, Fmaj7 (passing chord). Not convinced on a minor/major sound at the beginning that someone mentioned.

Hey, maybe this will be of some help - it's something I really looked into when trying to find ways to improve my ears. It's very variable what people are blessed with naturally and some musicians don't have to think about it much. I asked around trumpet players and singers, as they have to actually generate notes in pitch, and I personally felt there's a difference between interval recognition (like the ear training apps) and generating the interval yourself. So here's what I've been doing.. Use a drone to get a background note. Ingrid Jensen talks about a shruti box here, I'm hoping to get one but in the meantime use a website called dronetool.com I go for A as orchestras tune to A and I usually have a tuning fork in A with me. I'll then sing a small list of scales and arpeggios. I also looked up chromatic solfege syllables (moveable-do not fixed) and Kodaly hand signals, which vary a lot and there's a lot of criticism but usually it's from people blessed with strong ears. The hand signals give you a physical link to the scale degree, like practicing it on a piano and getting used to scale motions. It's a slow process: - think about the next note (say you've just done Do, think about what Re), try to hear the pitch clearly in your head relative to the drone. I try not to rush through this step, as learning to hear the note clearly is my aim really. - move your throat to the right position to sing the note you're hearing. I got this from a singer, when I jump straight into singing a note it's usually shaky but just this small step usually fixes that. - sing the note and get used to how that sounds with the drone, you might feel a bit of resonance on certain notes, then look down at a tuner and see how you did, adjust accordingly if needed I'm not sure where this will take me long term, but it gives some confidence to slowly improve at something that I knew was a weakness. Caroline

Hey, this was my reasoning for E minor: Oh great, haven't played Sweet Home Alabama yet.. will check it out! Caroline

Ah yeah, I see what you're saying - but then there's the F# in the melody? E feels like home. I'd say E major thinking of it as then modulating to G major (E minor), or could say the key is E minor with VImajor chord (the first chord, E major). Which is bound to confuse people.. Or maybe say "it's in E" and hope for the best 😆

Hi everyone, I've been learning a pile of pop tunes and sometimes it's not all that clear what key a tune is in.. So here's an idea, post a tune where you're not sure the key and hopefully someone in the know can help? I'll start - American Boy.. Emaj7, Cmaj7, Am, Am/D, Emaj7, Cmaj7, Am, Fmaj7.. I'd say E major for the key, would you agree - and why? Caroline

Kinda cheating because I'm on drums for this - I've been learning it on bass but it's too fast! I think our bassist did a cracking job though and hope you enjoy, rest in peace Rocco!! What Is Hip by Tower of Power covered by my big band

Thanks for all these helpful comments and ideas. That completely makes sense to get away from the amp to get an idea of the sound around the room. I don't have anything wireless just yet but I do have cable linkers so could join a couple of cables and walk around a bit. I can also bring a couple of extension leads to get the bass amp closer to the drummer so that we set the volume together. They usually rehearse and gig in the same town hall so if I can work on getting a good sound there then that will be a good start. The drummer was nice and said the feel was good and driving but the sound wasn't cutting through when the full band was playing. Hopefully some experimenting with getting just the right sound will pay off and set a nice foundation for the band. It's a weekly band and the previous bassist did it for over 20 years I'm told! So I'm working through the tunes in the pad at home and looking forward to playing more. Oh yeah I should have said, it's a Precision 4 string bass and a Mark Bass medium sized amp, the amp can go really loud if need be. The chairs there were curved and it didn't sit flat on the chair so I put it on the floor, but I can bring a stool or something to raise it off the ground. Thanks, Caroline

Bit excited.. After doing some depping on bass with some local big bands, I've finally joined a big band as the main bassist. I figured it's a good way to improve at bass as you get so many different styles thrown at you. So I asked for some charts in advance and learned them, and got quite roasted at reading some new ones.. have brought the pad home to work on. The main thing I'm having difficulty with is finding a good sound and volume. I'm more used to playing acoustic instruments (drums & percussion) where the sound carries quite far, and the sound seems to travel really differently coming out the bass amp. We're rehearsing in a big wooden town hall and some of the tunes are really loud. It seems really loud to me next to the bass amp but others (even the drummer who was about 2m away) were struggling to hear it so I think the sound trails off quite quickly when it comes out the amp. I cranked up the volume until the drummer was happy.. he's a good and experienced drummer so I definitely trust his judgement. So just wondering, when you're right next to a bass amp and the volume is just really loud , and it can sound totally different even 2m away - how have people learned to gauge what it sounds like around the room to set it so it's not too loud or too quiet? And any tips on setting sound in this environment to cut through well? Thanks, Caroline

Hey everyone, I was looking into ways to play outside just now as it's summer and UK indoor performances are all cancelled due to Covid. I got some useful advice on the Battery Powered Bass Amps thread for different types of battery powered bass amps and also ways to connect a battery to normal bass amps or run from car generators. After a lot of looking into it, I ended up not going down the bass amp or battery/generator route at all. I'm also a drummer and had a couple of outside jams with a quartet where the double bassist owns a battery powered PA speaker. He said a few local double bassists use these, and to get the 40W one instead of the 100W as the bass sound is better. It's a Behringer battery powered PA speaker https://www.thomann.de/gb/behringer_mpa40bt.htm I bought this and the Behringer V-tone bass pre-amp for around £20 for a DI, which actually has turned out not to be all that necessary. Apparently the battery lasts up to 12 hours, it's small/lightweight and it has a second input as well as a bluetooth function to pair with a microphone or MP3 player. It sounds great with guitar coming through and can get an impressive volume out of it. When I have been on drums, the guitarist had the volume around half full and it sounded fine. It doesn't deal with the lowest notes on my 4 string Precision too well at a really loud volume, although changing tone and pre-amp settings helps. It comes with a mic and cable. Just wanted to let people know that this has turned out to be a reasonably simple and cheap option to allow outdoor playing.. hopefully we'll be allowed to play indoors again soon. Caroline

Really good I thought. I've kinda gone off topic on this thread and ended up getting something different from what was being discussed so I'll start a new thread for anyone looking into battery powered PA speakers. Thanks again for the help.

Hey, just to give an update, I settled on a Behringer battery powered PA speaker with a bass pre-amp. I asked around and a few double bass players use these for outside gigs so thought I'd give it a try. So far really happy with it, apparently the battery lasts up to 12 hours, and it has a second input as well as a bluetooth function to pair with a microphone or MP3 player. Jamming with a drummer outside tomorrow so will see how it goes. It doesn't deal with the lowest notes on my 4 string Precision too well at a really loud volume, but at only £139 can't ask for too much. It even comes with a mic and cable https://www.thomann.de/gb/behringer_mpa40bt.htm